Page 95 of King of Cruelty

I gave her a look. “No, and no. Besides, we can give them a heads-up, but I won’t tell them to fight. If they go head-to-head with the brothers, they’ll kill each other in the shootouts, and that’s exactly what Debra wants. All of us dead. I won’t play into her hands.”

“But they still need to know—”

The phone went off in Kenzie’s hand, making her jump. She turned the screen to me—wide-eyed. It flashed one name on the screen:Wilson

I could practically hear her thinking,I hope you’ve got a plan, because time’s up!

“I left an ax and flail in there,” I said. “Get those for me, baby, while I have a little chat with Willy’s ghost.”

She didn’t fight me.

Moving into the kitchen, Kenzie went the other way while I hitAccept.

“You bitch! You killed him! When I get my hands on you—”

“—you’ll apologize for calling me a bitch, I’m sure.” I dropped down at the kitchen table, kicking up my feet. “Because it’s an insult to me and your friend Wilson—pretty much saying that a big, tough guy like him was taken down by a little bitch.”

“Alexander,” hissed a voice I’d remember for the rest of my life.

“Debra.”

“Where’s your little girlfriend?”

“She’s safe—despite your worst intentions. And she let me in on your little plan.” I took out the drive, examining the sleek, unimpressive surface in the light. “I’m happy to hear you’re notgoing to sell me off to some foot-sniffing pervert, but I’m not too pleased that you’re going to blow me up.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” She added some jaunt to her fury. “I’ve got a much slower and more inventive death planned for you now.”

“And I’ve got a deal for you,” I replied, getting right to the point. “The flash drive—I have it, and I’ll give it to you.”

She fell quiet. I could hear her suspicious mind turning from the other end of the phone.

“You’ll give it to me?” she repeated. “And what do you want in return?”

“Simple. Evacuate the building. Let all the kids go, and leave the adults to work this out amongst ourselves. All includes everyone in your gang and ours—Scourges, Cardinals, Sons of Saint, everyone.” I glanced out the balcony window. “I’ll be watching from the window. Once I see them all leave the building, I’ll hand the drive to you. Just like that.”

She made a production of humming, like she was considering it. “Let your gangs goandmy brothers? Why would you care about my people?”

“I care that you lied, exploited, and used these people, only so that you could bury them in the same grave as mine. Kenzie told me all about your recruitment requirements. People and children who lost everything on the Night of Tears. Innocent people who caught the shrapnel of the ledger dump explosion.

“Regular people that you’ve weaponized and filled with hate, all to make you rich and powerful, and them dead. I’ve done a lot of questionable things in my life—frankly, I’ve done all the questionable things—but I would never do that.

“As for my people, they’re not fucking dying because the children of a bunch of traitorous pieces of shit can’t comprehend that their bastard fathers got what was coming to them,” Igrowled, setting her off too. “So let’s compromise. Let them go. I give you the drive. Simple.”

“No,” she sliced in before I finished. “This isn’t a compromise. It’s a trap. There’s no way you trade the key to your success for a bunch of worthless thugs. It doesn’t make any sense. Why aren’t you asking me to release your family? Or let your little niece skip out the door?”

“My niece isn’t here,” I lied, eyes flicking in the direction of Tricky’s room and the safe room. “And I know you wouldn’t let my family go for anything, not even the flash drive. But as you said, they’re just a bunch of ‘worthless thugs.’ You don’t care about them. You don’t care if they live or die. You definitely don’t care more about them than you do the drive, so what’s the problem?

“Let them go, and I’ll give you the drive, Seward,” I blared. “Seriously, how is this a conversation?”

“I have no assurances that you’ll give up the drive!”

“My family is your assurance! You’re still holding them hostage. I’m obviously not going to fuck you around when you’ve got guns trained on my brothers, sister, and parents.”

“Hmm. That is a good point. I do have guns trained on everyone you love,” she chirped. “So how about I shoot one of them every ten minutes until the drive is in my hands?”

“You can’t trick me with that empty threat. I know you need them alive for your auction. You’re not shooting anybody.”

“I don’t need all of them alive. I’d be more than happy to have my fun with one or two of them. You’re all going to die after the auction anyway, so what difference does it make if I shoot your little brother and sister in the head now?”

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